TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The government is set to create a Shinkansen-like bullet train, with the first stage covering Jakarta-Bandung route. "[It will travel] from Gedebage Station (Bandung) to Gambir Station (Jakarta)," said Head of Regional Planning of West Java Deny Juanda Puradimaja.
The bullet train is said to travel across Jakarta-Bandung in only 37 minutes, speeding at an average speed of 300 kilometers per hour. Deny added that the train's railroad must be in a straight and flat, without any sharp turns. Moreover, the allowed distance between stations will be at least 25-30 kilometers. "It cannot have a more than 5 percent inclination," he said.
In order to meet the requirements, a number of bridges and tunnels are made to facilitate Jakarta-Bandung bullet train. Deny said that they need over 16 tunnels, with total length of 31 kilometers.
As for the train itself, it will consist of 12 carriage, designed to take all 925 passengers at once. The price for a set of train is Rp2.6 trillion, while it takes Rp9 trillion just to build the stations and infrastructure.
AHMAD FIKRI